Academy Arcanist (Astra Academy #1) by Shami Stovall | Book Review, Excerpt, $25 Giveaway | #Fantasy #YA
A book blog tour from Goddess Fish Promotions.
Thank you to the author, publisher, and Marianne & Judy at Goddess Fish for providing me with the information for this tour.
Book Details
Academy Arcanist by Shami Stovall Series: Astra Academy #1
Published by Capital Station Books on 08/23/2022
Genres: Fiction, Fantasy, Young Adult
Format: eBook, Hardcover, Paperback
Pages: 446
Source: Goddess Fish Promotions, Kindle Unlimited, Received from the author or publisher for review.Hopes. Dreams. And literal nightmares out to kill a young boy.
Gray Lexly, son of a candlemaker, wants to escape his life of old-world technologies and study at the prestigious Astra Academy, a school for arcanists—those who can wield magic. But Gray has a major problem. Every night, as he sleeps, he’s visited by monsters. When they injure Gray in his dreams, he wakes with the same wounds in real life…
On the night Gray might finally die in his nightmares, he is saved by the kind and mysterious Professor Helmith, a powerful arcanist. She offers to protect Gray and invites him to attend Astra Academy.
Before that can happen, Gray must bond with a mystical creature to become an arcanist himself. Will he bond with a unicorn? A pegasus? A kitsune? Whatever he bonds with will determine his magical abilities, so he must choose wisely.
And when trouble finds Professor Helmith, Gray must become powerful enough to help her and fend off the terrible nightmares, before it’s too late…
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Excerpt from Academy Arcanist
“I don’t want to sleep,” I said. “The monsters will return. They’ll…”
My father lingered by the door, half inside my bedroom and half in the hall. He turned down the light of my oil lamp, though he didn’t snuff it out. The shadows in the corners of my room grew darker. I dared not stare at them.
“The monsters aren’t real, boy.” My father offered a gentle smile. “Those were just nightmares. Everyone has them occasionally.”
I sat on the edge of my bed, my posture stiff as I tried to act twice my age. With my throat tight, I lifted my left arm. An injury ran from the crux of my elbow all the way to the edge of my palm, scabbed over and red. It was a straight and shallow cut, but it stung worse than a normal wound.
“The monsters are real,” I said, defiant. “I told you—they attacked me.”
“Gray, we talked about this,” my father said, sighing.
His shoulders sagged and his eyes were heavy-lidded. He looked tired. Probably because he was. Every day, he worked from sunup until sundown, mixing waxes and perfecting wicks. He was our island’s only tallow chandler—a person who made candles with oil, wax, and animal fat.
My father wore an apron marked with his profession, stained by the hot wax. He rubbed his blistered hands down his sides, no doubt trying to think of what to say. I already knew what he would eventually settle on.
He would say, “You just fell out of bed.”
“You just fell out of bed,” my father muttered.
And then he would say, “I know your arm hurts, but it was an accident. Just go to sleep.”
“I know your arm hurts.” My father half closed the door as he spoke. “But it was an accident. Just go to sleep.”
All those long hours working meant my father didn’t like dealing with problems. He was rather predictable. His most common advice was to just ignore my problems. “They’ll go away eventually,” he often muttered. “Keep your head down and do your work.”
That was easier for him, I supposed.
And although I knew he cared about me and my brother, I sometimes feared he didn’t listen. The monsters in my dreams? They were real. One had attacked me, and if I hadn’t woken up, it would’ve ripped me apart.
Excerpt provided by the author/publisher for use in this post.
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Purchase Links for Academy Arcanist
Amazon – OneLink for every country
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My thoughts on Academy Arcanist
Academy Arcanist, book one of the Astra Academy, by Shami Stovall, picks up in the future from her Frith Chronicles series.
Once again, Stovall’s imagination works overtime to create a world blending magic, hope, dreams, and nightmares.
Young Gray Lexly, the son of a simple candlemaker, wants to attend the prestigious academy for Arcanists. But first, he has to live long enough to accomplish his dream. Every night, he is attacked by monsters in his nightmares and wakes up to the same wounds in his real life.
Enter Professor Helmith from the academy, who saves Gray from his horrible nightmare death. However, his quest is just beginning. Now it’s his turn to save his professor, but he must first conquer his powers.
While the book is a bit longish at ~450 pages, it reads reasonably fast due to the action and plot twists. The world-building is superb, the pace is good, the characters are fleshed out, and the book sets up the next in the series.
Fans of young-adult fantasy will enjoy this book immensely.
Read more of my Shami Stovall reviews HERE.
I received a copy of the book for the tour. This review is my honest, unbiased opinion.
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I love my Amazon Kindle Unlimited Subscription. So many books, so little time!
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About Shami Stovall
Shami Stovall grew up in California’s central valley with a single mother and little brother. Despite no one in her family having a degree higher than a GED, she put herself through college (earning a BA in History), and then continued on to law school where she obtained her Juris Doctorate. As a child,
Stovall enjoyed every portal fantasy, space opera, and magic series she could get her hands on, but the first novel to spark her imagination was Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell. The adventure on a deserted island opened her mind to ideas and realities she had never given thought before—and it was the moment Stovall realized that story telling (specifically fiction) became her passion. Anything that told a story, especially fantasy series and military science fiction, be it a movie, book, video game or comic, she had to experience.
Now, as a professor and author, Stovall wants to add her voice to the myriad of stories in the world. Everything from sorcerers, to robots, to fantasy wars--she just hopes you enjoy.
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Purchase Academy Arcanist online from a local bookstore.
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Easy Amazon Info Link
Amazon – OneLink for every country
Academy Arcanist (Astra Aca...Shop on Amazon
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Giveaway!
Shami Stovall will award a $25 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
Visit more stops on this Goddess Fish tour for extra chances to win!
Official Tour Page for Academy Arcanist
Full Tour Schedule:
October 17: Brandi Danielle Davis
October 17: Archaeolibrarian – I Dig Good Books!
October 17: Bibliomanaic Aza
October 24: Jazzy Book Reviews
October 24: White Sky Project
October 31: The Reading Addict
October 31: Gina Rae Mitchell
November 7: The Avid Reader
November 7: Kit ‘N Kabookle
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Cool cover, I enjoyed the excerpt and Academy Arcanist sounds like a book that my granddaughter will enjoy!
Thanks for sharing it with me and have a funtastic day!
Thanks for hosting!
Happy Halloween, Shami and Gina! (If you celebrate the day that is)
Thank you for sharing your awesome review of Academy Arcanist, I do love a long book to read as long as there is a great story-line and interesting characters that I can spend the day with. This book definitely sounds like a must read for me